Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle

Set in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle is an average-sized middle-grades school, overseen by Stafford County Public Schools. It works with 887 students across grades 6 through 8.

Across the 32 schools in Stafford County Public Schools (31,812 students total), Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle logs that White students make up the majority at 60%. Beyond that, the school shows 15% Hispanic, 13% Black, 7% multiracial, 3% Asian.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 58 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.3:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.1:1 average. An estimated 36% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Stafford County (around 45%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 78.3%; this one delivers 70.1%.

In the broader community, census data for Stafford County shows median household earnings sit near $137,807, about 44% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 3%. In all, Stafford County runs 41 public schools (combined enrollment of about 31,812 students), of which Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle is one.

The closest other public school is Grafton Village Elementary, roughly 0.3 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle at 4th of 8; the average score across the group is 64.7%.

The campus sits in a bedroom-community setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle's enrollment has climbed 11% since 2018, when it stood at 800 (now 887). The White share of enrollment fell from 68% to 60% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Donald B. Dixon-Lyle R. Smith Middle community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.